Human Rights and Democracy - Official Documents

Death penalty
Belarus is the only remaining European state that retains the death penalty. It is one
of our five target countries for the abolition of the death penalty. The issue became
prominent following the execution by shooting of two convicts in Minsk on 1 March
which took place despite a formal request by the UN Human Rights Committee to
postpone the executions until it could consider the convicts' complaints about the
judicial process. On 30 March, the EU condemned the executions and urged an
immediate moratorium. Two more death penalty verdicts have since been confirmed
and a further one was before the court of appellation in December.
We have worked with local and international NGOs to promote public debate and to
publicise EU views on the death penalty. The EU has urged Belarus to abolish the
death penalty or, as an initial measure, to introduce a moratorium.
Our Embassy in Minsk, together with Amnesty International, supported local human
rights organisations campaigning against the death penalty. In 2010, this included
the organisation of an on-line petition which was signed in London by Minister of
State Jeremy Browne. As part of the Council of Europe and EU-supported campaign
against the death penalty, our Embassy hosted a screening of “Dance with a
Stranger”, a film about the last woman to be executed in the UK. This was followed
by a panel discussion with experts, which provoked a lively debate among the
students attending the screening.
The authorities continue to insist that their hands are tied by a 1996 referendum
which purportedly showed that 96% of the population supported the death penalty.
However, recent independent opinion polls indicated that 49% supported its retention
while approximately 40% opposed it. However, in the light of recent human rights
set-backs and the resulting deterioration of relations between Belarus and the EU,
we are not optimistic that the Belarus authorities will change their policy soon.
Nevertheless, we will continue to highlight the death penalty as an issue in Belarus.
Torture and other ill treatment
General concerns relate to the conduct of public institutions, such as the police and
prison authorities, and the lack of effective investigations by the authorities into
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